The Single-A Modesto Nuts (California League) hope to break the team’s attendance record in 2012 with a few subtle changes at John Thurman Field. The team averaged 2,430 per game in 2011. Read more here. In other Nuts news, Alex Margulies has been hired as the team’s new director of broadcasting.

PRESS RELEASE – Alex Margulies has been hired as the Director of Broadcasting for the Modesto Nuts for the 2012 season, the club announced today. Margulies spent the last two years as the Director of Broadcasting for the Fort Myers Miracle (Class A Advanced Affiliate of the Minnesota Twins; Florida State League). In addition to serving as the lead play-by-play broadcaster for the Miracle, Margulies was also in charge of the team’s multimedia content, which included a bi-monthly TV show the he co-produced and hosted for the Miracle website and YouTube channel.

“We are excited to bring on a young broadcaster with the talent and skill level of Alex Margulies,” said Modesto Nuts Vice President Mike Gorrasi. “We received hundreds of applications and Alex was our number one choice.”

Alex grew up in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, and graduated from the University of Miami in 2009, majoring in Broadcast Journalism and Sport Administration. While at the “U”, he had the opportunity to broadcast Hurricanes football, baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, and other sports on WVUM-FM. He was also an anchor/reporter for several of the schools TV shows on UMTV. As an avid Bay Area sports fan, his broadcast highlight while at Miami was announcing the 2008 Emerald Bowl at AT&T Park in San Francisco.

“I am thrilled to return to the West Coast and I look forward to this great opportunity with the Modesto Nuts,” said Margulies.

Prior to joining the Miracle, Margulies also worked as a broadcaster for the Outer Banks Daredevils of the Coastal Plain League, and Miami Diamantes of the Florida Winter Baseball League.